Who Played Spider in Goodfellas? A Future Sopranos Star
Mobsters DailySpider was played by Michael Imperioli — a young actor in one of his first film roles, a decade before he became Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos.
Shoot the foot, then the man
Spider is the stuttering kid serving drinks at the crew's card game when Tommy, showing off, shoots him in the foot for being slow — a scene retold in whether Tommy really shot Spider. A week later, bandaged foot and all, Spider finally tells Tommy to go screw himself. The room goes quiet with admiration for half a second. Then Tommy shoots him dead, as Jimmy shrugs that he did not mean it — he was just breaking his balls, until he was not.
One actor links the two greatest mob stories ever filmed, which is why the Tony Soprano Ugly Christmas Sweater belongs in every November rewatch: Tony in a black-and-white stencil, gabagool included, nothing covering the print.
The bridge to Christopher
Imperioli's two scenes became a career hinge. David Chase remembered him, and the kid Pesci killed became Tony's nephew and heir — the arc traced in Christopher Moltisanti's story. Imperioli has said strangers still quote Spider's defiance at him more than almost anything in Christopher's long, darker run.
Frequently asked questions
Was Spider based on a real person? The character draws on the real crew's hangers-on in Nicholas Pileggi's Wiseguy, though Spider himself is largely a film creation.
How old was Imperioli in Goodfellas? He was in his early twenties and Goodfellas (1990) was among his first credited film roles.
What does Spider say to Tommy? After being mocked about his bandaged foot, Spider finally tells Tommy to go and screw himself — and pays for it instantly.
Keep reading: Why Tommy was killed · Tommy DeVito's real story · Pesci's insane 1990
From the shop: Get Your Shinebox Mob Quote Tee — Billy Batts' fatal insult, printed for every Goodfellas fan.
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